The Adcock sisters Fifth Annual Mountain Retreat 2013 was held in Hayesville, North Carolina this year from October 18 through the 20th and spouses that wanted to attend were allowed to do so and it didn't take too long for yours truly to make the decision to "tag" along.........grin if you must! 

It is to my understanding that Rachel Myers and Aline Mosteller hatched the idea up for the Sister's retreat and the first three years the event was held at Dana and Phillip Little's summer mountain top home in Sylva, Georgia.  Due to health issues, etc. for a few, the event was moved to Hayesville, NC the home town of Roy and Aline Mosteller. 

The sisters attending this year were as follows; Aline Mosteller, Rachel Myers, Rose Tucker, Sue Newton, Frankie Beachum and Joyce Porter.  Spouses were Roy Mosteller, Wink Myers and Bill aka Mickey Porter.

My bride and I left early on October 18th and had breakfast at a Waffle House on the other side of Charlotte, NC.  We elected to take a scenic route and didn't use the I-485 loop around Charlotte, NC and continued directly on Highway 74 West and to  I-85S and traveled down through SC;  then up through the Northwestern edge of Georgia and into Hayesville, NC.  

We arrived at the recently renovated Mosteller home a little after mid-day and was warmly greeted and welcomed by Roy Mosteller and he gave my bride and I a tour of their beautiful home and yard with the flowers that he had planted.  Aline Mosteller was out on an errand at the time and later joined us.  Below a few pixs of Roy and his flower garden and the magnificent view from their front yard.  If only a picture could give off the wonderful clean fresh smell of the mountain air that permeates not only the nose but the inner soul and being as well.  One thing is for certain, you do not see facilities emitting pollution into the atmosphere and there are plenty of trees to help convert carbon dioxide to oxygen!

Click on the thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view:

The pix to the left is a Pineapple Sage plant which does smell like pineapple and Roy has two "green thumbs" for sure! 

After a short visit with Roy Mosteller, Frankie Beachum arrived who coordinated the event reserving one of the lodges at the Truett Baptist Camp there in Hayesville and we followed her to the lodge and unloaded our luggage, kicked back and made ourselves at home.  Pixs below:

The lodge was very adequate for our small group with a large kitchen, dining area and individual beds, two to the room.  Below Frankie and my bride enjoying the sunshine on the front porch and Sue Newton working on a custom scarf:

After our group got settled in, we then met back at the Roy and Aline Mosteller home and had lunch aka "Supper" at a steak house there in Hayesville.  Roy picked up the tab for all of our meals and would not have it any other way!  Below a few pixs at the steakhouse:

I would have taken more pixs but it is hard to operate a camera with a fork in one hand and a bread roll in the other.........grin if you must!

For those that do not know Roy Mosteller and his bride Aline, they are two of the most gracious hosts and genuine people you will ever hope to meet.  Both are retired School Teachers and/or Principal and have been very active in the Church Ministry all their lives.  Aline has pastored several Churches, building one or two from the ground up and currently is pastoring one there in Hayesville.

Roy has been a devoted Christian since the age of 14 and his passion is helping others by raising and donating many thousands of dollars to the Church Missions Ministry and is he very reserved and humble in his accomplishments.  Roy and Aline are both totally dedicated and committed Christians and live by example of what they preach and teach.  Both are also artists in their own right with Aline painting and Roy who carves and also does crochet.  There is nothing that Roy cannot do in the kitchen whether baking cakes and pies to all types of cooking.  I have used many of Roy's recipes that are featured in the Adcock Family Traditions Cookbook and they are winners for sure.  Roy and Aline have touched the lives of untold numbers of people over the decades of all races through their Christian Ministry both locally and in other Countries.  Their willingness to devote their time, talent and resources to help enrich the lives of those that are less fortunate are to be commended!  God definitely has a special place reserved for them in Heaven.  They both set the standards extremely high for the rest of us and certainly do lead by example.  Below a few pixs of some of Roy's wood carvings but went brain dead on taking pixs of Aline's artwork.  Got side tracked with the evening meal again:

Roy hand carved the wooden bowl from a solid piece of wood for Aline to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1987.  Roy purposely left gouge and chisel marks on the bowl to manifest that it was carved by hand tools and not by machine. 

There certainly is a tremendous amount of artistic and creative talent of all types within the entire Adcock family!

On October 19th, we met at the Mosteller home and divided into two groups.  Aline was the tour guide for Frankie, Sue and Rose to go on a shopping excursion, however I didn't hear any of them mention taking any pictures.

Roy was the guide for Wink, Rachel, Joyce and Mickey with Wink doing the driving.  Roy took us by a 25 acre parcel of land that was donated to a Church which was awesome.  Pixs below:

We left Hayesville, NC and headed to Burt's Farm in Dawsonville, Ga. which had a fall festival going on and it was unbelievable the number, size and variety of pumpkins they had available for sale along with other items and seasonal decor of all types.  There were jams, jellies, cookies, candy, etc.  Pix below of the entrance followed by thumbnail pixs:

After seeing the majority of the displays at Burt's Farm, we headed to the Amicalola Falls State Park at Springer Mountain in Dawsonville, Georgia which is the starting point (southern terminus) for the Appalachian Trail.

There is a five (5) dollar parking fee and it definitely is well worth it.  Below is pix of the marker with details of the trail:

Click on below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view:

There were mounted animal displays along with live caged snakes to view with a well stocked souvenir shop and plenty of educational material available.  One of the park employees is holding a Milk Snake which has similar markings of a King Snake.

Below is pix of the lower portion of the falls.  One would need to be in a helicopter to get a "birds eye view" pix of the falls as it descends and cascades 729 feet down the mountain and there are a few walking/hiking trails to get you closer for the more physically fit. 

Below pix of the start of the Amicalola Falls which is amazing due to such an altitude for the start or head water which is a very small crystal clear flowing stream.  It was cloudy and overcast with a few sprinkles of rain but still a magnificent sight:

Pix of Rachel and Wink Myers and our guide and host Roy Mosteller who knows the Hayesville, NC area and other mountain attractions like the back of his hands.  Roy is a walking Encyclopedia with a vast amount of knowledge and mountain folk lore.  

Click on below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view:

After enjoying the scenery at The Amicalola Falls, we headed toward Ellijay, Ga. on Highway 52 and stopped at MACK AARON'S APPLE HOUSE which is 9 miles East of Ellijay and purchased some apples, fried apple pies, Scuppernong Cider and a few souvenirs to commemorate our trip.  Click on the hyperlink for Mack Aaron's Apple House and view their website.  Every where we traveled, it appeared that a fall festival was going on in full swing for sure.

We stopped and had a Pizza Buffet while in route back to North Carolina sometime around 3:00 PM and I believe each of us maxed out on Pizza and tossed salad and were tight as a Georgia tick on the back of a coonhound in the month of July and that is tight my friend.

Wink Myers round trip mileage for the trip to the Amicalola Falls State Park was in the neighborhood of 178 miles and after a brief visit with Roy and Aline Mosteller, we headed back to the Truett Baptist lodge and kicked back until after 5:00 PM and planned to have some sandwiches and homemade vegetable soup, etc. with Roy and Aline.  One thing is for certain when you are around Roy and Aline Mosteller, you will not go lacking for anything.  Click on below thumbnail pixs taken for a larger screen view at the Mosteller home.  They down sized from a much larger home there in Hayesville and did a total make over on their current home which is beautiful with a breath taking view:

After our evening meal, we enjoyed the fellowship and friendship of one another and each of us experienced a wonderful time.  Aline passed out gifts to each family and we passed out host gifts to her and then it was time to say our good bys to Roy and Aline and we thanked them for such a marvelous time.

NOTE:  I used the Orgreenic non-stick frying pan that Aline gave us this afternoon (October 21st),  toasting up a couple of "The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches" and it was everything the non-stick frying pan  was advertised to be.

I slept pretty good and was wide awake around 5:00 AM the following morning October 20th and after a shave and bath, turned on the coffee maker and caught up on the early morning news while the rest of the group slept in until around 7:30 to 8:00 AM.  We headed out and met at The Huddle House there in Hayesville for breakfast.  I enjoyed a large plate of three sunny side up eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, grits, toast and black coffee and then it was "On The Road Again" as ole Willie Nelson would sing.

While in Georgia, my bride and I stopped at an overlook and took a few pixs.  The leaves are not at their peak color yet due to the warm weather according to Roy Mosteller, however the temperature is supposed to dip down into the 20s around Wednesday of this week which should have the leaves reaching their peak bright color hues of golden yellows, rich fire reds, brilliant oranges and all shades of the rainbow sometime around the weekend for the Hayesville, NC elevation.  It is easy to see where the name Blue Ridge Smokey Mountains originated from:  Pixs below:

IN SUMMATION:  There is so much beauty in this World that God has created and allows us to enjoy if we will only take the time  to do so.  I give God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior daily thanks for his many blessings and a very special Thank You to our hosts Aline and Roy Mosteller for their Love, Hospitality, Kindness, Generosity, Humility, Christianity, Friendship and Fellowship that Christians can fully appreciate.

Also, a special Thank You to Frankie Beachum for the wonderful homemade vegetable soup and breakfast items that she provided, reserving our rooms for us and coordinating the event.

Speaking for all of us, we certainly had a fantastic mini vacation aka Sister's Mountain Retreat and the Lord willing of course, hope to do so again next year.  Our host Roy Mosteller is having some serious medical issues and ask each of you to give a prayer on his behalf.

One of my many favorite scriptures from the King James Version Bible:

John 14: 1-4

1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.
3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

To quote from one of my departed friends Bill Escott: "Yesterday is History, Today is a Gift and Tomorrow is a Mystery" and one of my personal favorites:  "Two of the Greatest Ships that ever Sailed, Friendship and Fellowship."

Time aka Years has a way of slipping up on all of us and we have to adapt to the new changes brought about by Mother Nature and time.   I am certainly thankful and grateful for each and every day that the Lord allows.  Each day brings on subtle new challenges and sometimes a humongous change but God certainly is good to us and will see us through these challenges.

I am guilty of taking many things for granted in my youth but maturity has a way of letting one become more acutely aware and appreciate what we can do for ourselves even with the limitations that we currently posses.

While typing my short stories as with each day that God allows,  I do try and inject some humor along this Road of Life and grin as much as possible and strive to focus on some spiritual lesson or awakening and give God, the praise, glory and honor.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-21-13.